JP5187578B2 - Powder and particle feeder - Google Patents

Description

  In the present invention, when powder or granules are dropped by gravity from a powder supply unit such as a sealed container toward a powder supply unit such as a manufacturing apparatus located downstream of the powder supply unit. In particular, it transports particles that are small in size and easy to fly, such as highly toxic powder in pharmaceutical factories and nanoparticle production lines that are concerned about cytotoxicity and aspiration toxicity. It is related with the granular material supply apparatus suitable for a case.

  In factories that handle granular materials, especially pharmaceutical factories, it is important to prevent contamination (contamination) and scattering of granular drugs during the manufacturing process from the viewpoint of ensuring quality and reducing the exposure risk of operators. Become.

  A part of the manufacturing process in a pharmaceutical factory is shown in FIG. The process shown in FIG. 7 shows the granulation drying process using the manufacturing apparatus 1, such as the granulation drying apparatus which manufactures a granular product, and the tableting machine which manufactures a tablet-like tablet, or a tableting process.

  In any such manufacturing process, a process of supplying a powder or liquid to the manufacturing apparatus 1 is required as a preceding process. Raw materials such as powder and liquid and intermediate products are stored in a sealed container 2 stored in an automatic rack warehouse 4, and the sealed container 2 is provided in the upper stage of the production area 3. It will be conveyed to the supply area 5, and a granular material will be supplied to the manufacturing apparatus 1. FIG.

  In such a case, when supplying a granular material having a high possibility of scattering or the like, the role of preventing the scattering of the granular material or mixing of foreign substances between the sealed container 2 and the manufacturing apparatus 1 is provided. The carrying powder supply device 6 is intervened. As a general structure of the granular material supply device 6, a structure using a split valve is known.

The split valve is a valve (a flap in Patent Document 1) having a structure in which a butterfly valve is halved in the plane direction as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. Since the split valve overlaps the contaminated surfaces (half-divided surfaces) and opens and closes as a single valve, it can prevent and suppress both foreign matter contamination and powder scattering into the manufacturing apparatus. . In the granular material supply apparatus employing the split valve, the split valve is disposed at the opening of the connecting pipe located between the sealed container and the manufacturing apparatus.
Japanese Patent No. 2676679

  When the split valve as described above is adopted, it is possible to reduce powder scattering more than applying a normal butterfly valve. However, the split valve has the following problems.

  That is, the split valve is required to have high accuracy in machining the valve body mating surface which is divided in half. Due to structural problems of the rotation mechanism of the valve body, high accuracy is required for the connection when connecting the powder supply container to the apparatus, which increases the manufacturing cost and makes it difficult to connect the valves and lots to be manufactured. Dimension error management and adjustment work becomes enormous. In addition to normal manufacturing operations, pharmaceutical factories need to disassemble and clean manufacturing equipment and powder supply equipment during product type switching and equipment maintenance. As a matter of course, the work itself such as disassembly and assembly is complicated.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a granular material supply apparatus that can reduce scattering and contamination of a granular material with a simple structure, has a low cost for production and use, and has good cleaning properties.

  In order to achieve the above object, a granular material supply device according to the present invention is a granular material supply device inserted between a granular material supply unit and a granular material supply unit, wherein the granular material supply unit A first casing tube that supports a butterfly valve having a rotating shaft and a second casing tube that supports a butterfly valve having a rotating shaft and is installed in the powder receiving unit. A connecting pipe connected to the casing pipe, and comprising a cleaning nozzle for cleaning the space separated by the two butterfly valves configured when the two casing pipes are connected to the connecting pipe, A hole for exhausting the dry air supplied from the cleaning nozzle to the rotating shaft of one casing tube, and an exhaust air and the cleaning water supplied from the cleaning nozzle to the rotating shaft of the second casing tube Or a hole for draining And wherein the door.

  By setting it as such a structure, the scattering of a granular material and contamination can be reduced, the cost required for manufacture and use is low, and the granular material supply apparatus with favorable washing | cleaning property can be provided.

  In the present invention, the hole for exhausting the dry air supplied from the cleaning nozzle to the rotating shaft of the first casing tube, and the drying air and the cleaning water supplied from the cleaning nozzle to the rotating shaft of the second casing tube are provided. Since it has the hole which exhausts or drains, while being able to discharge | emit washing water from a granular material supply apparatus efficiently, dry air can also be discharged | emitted outside effectively.

  Further, in the connecting part for connecting the first casing pipe and the connecting pipe of the powder and granular material supply apparatus having the above characteristics, the connecting pipe is formed with a holding seat for holding the gasket. In addition, it is preferable that a semi-torus-shaped protrusion is provided on the holding seat of the connection pipe and the contact surface of the gasket of the first casing pipe. The semi-torus-shaped protrusion may be formed of an O-ring.

  This prevents the granular material due to the leakage of dry air or cleaning water from the connecting portion connecting the first casing tube and the connecting tube from being scattered or contaminated outside the granular material supply device during cleaning. In this case, the hermeticity of the powder supply device is ensured by providing a semi-torus-shaped projection.

  According to the granular material supply apparatus having the above-described characteristics, scattering and contamination of the granular material can be reduced with a simple structure. In addition, the cost required for the production and use of the granular material supply device can be kept low, and the labor required for disassembly and assembly for maintenance and cleaning can be reduced. And the granular material supply apparatus with favorable detergency can be provided.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments according to the powder and particle supply apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the granular material supply device 10 is supplied from a granular material supply unit such as a sealed container containing the granular material and the granular material supply unit, as described in the background art section. It is a generic term for equipment that includes the structure of a connecting pipe that connects a powder receiving part such as a manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a product using the granular material as a raw material, and the structure of equipment that is arranged around the connecting pipe. Shall.

  First, basic embodiment of the granular material supply apparatus of this invention is described. Drawing 1 is a figure showing the schematic section of the granular material supply device concerning an embodiment.

  The granular material supply apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment mainly includes a first butterfly valve 14 provided in a hopper 60 of a sealed container, a second butterfly valve 34 provided in a manufacturing apparatus 70, and a second The connecting pipe 24 is fixed to the butterfly valve 34 and connected to the first butterfly valve 14, and the cleaning nozzle 26 is provided in the connecting pipe 24.

  The first butterfly valve 14 is connected to the lower part of the hopper 60 of the sealed container. FIG. 2 is a top view of the first butterfly valve 14 and mainly includes a cylindrical casing tube 12 and a butterfly valve 15b. 2 is a plan view showing a rotating state of the butterfly valve 15b, and the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 shows a cross section taken along the line AA in FIG. The butterfly valve 15b is provided with two rotating shafts 15a provided through the wall surface of the casing tube 12. The two rotary shafts 15a constituting the first butterfly valve 14 are arranged in a straight line perpendicular to the central axis of the cylindrical first casing tube 12, and at least one of the rotary shafts 15a includes a rotary shaft 15a. You may make it connect the actuator for rotating. The diameter of the butterfly valve 15 b constituting the first butterfly valve 14 is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the first casing tube 12.

  A flange-like projecting portion 16 is formed at a portion of the first casing pipe 12 where the rotary shaft 15a of the first butterfly valve 15b is disposed.

  Further, the first casing tube 12 is configured to be capable of being divided and connected to a hopper 60 of a sealed container by a flange-like projecting portion 16. In this way, the presser jig 20 for fastening the overhanging portion 16 in the longitudinal direction is provided on the outer periphery of the overhanging portion 16 that can be divided (see FIG. 1).

  Further, an overhanging portion 16 is provided at the opening located at the lower end of the first casing tube 12 to increase the contact area with the opening of the connection tube 24 described later in detail.

  Next, the configuration of the connection pipe 24 will be described. A cleaning nozzle 26 is disposed on the inner wall surface of the connection pipe 24. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cleaning range by a cleaning nozzle, FIG. 3A illustrates a cleaning range on a horizontal plane, and FIG. 3B illustrates a cleaning range on a vertical plane.

  The cleaning nozzle 26 according to the embodiment includes a telescopic tube 28, a nozzle head 30, and a closing plug 32 provided at the tip of the nozzle head 30. The telescopic tube 28 of the cleaning nozzle 26 is arranged in the radial direction so as to be along a plane perpendicular to the center line penetrating the connecting rod 24 in the longitudinal direction. A stopper plug 32 provided at the tip of the nozzle head 30 is fitted into the inner wall surface of the connection tube 24 located on the base end side of the expansion / contraction tube 28 extending in the axial direction of the connection tube 24. A dead hole is formed.

  When the expansion tube 28 is contracted, the cleaning nozzle 26 having such a configuration can accommodate the nozzle head 30 up to the inner wall surface of the connection tube 24. In the state where the expansion tube 28 is contracted most, The stopper plug 32 provided at the tip of the nozzle head 30 and the inner wall surface of the connecting pipe 24 are located on the same plane. Here, by providing a sealing member (not shown) such as an O-ring or a V-seal around the outer periphery of the stopper plug 32, the expansion tube 28 of the cleaning nozzle 26 is contracted to open the inner wall surface of the connection tube 24. Is hermetically sealed, so that no powder particles are mixed into the opening of the inner wall surface. In addition, a stopper plug 32 is provided at the tip of the cleaning nozzle 26, and the inner wall surface of the inner wall surface of the connecting pipe 24 is kept smooth by maintaining the contact ratio of the powder particles (the contact surface when the powder particles are drugs). Can reduce the amount of dust and improve the yield of the product. Further, since the accumulation of powder is reduced, it is possible to shorten the cleaning time of the powder body contact surface.

  It is desirable that the cleaning nozzle 26 includes a plurality of expansion tubes 28 such that the expansion tubes 28 are radially arranged along a plane perpendicular to the center line penetrating the connection tube 24 in the longitudinal direction. Here, when the cleaning range of the cleaning nozzle 26 is a hatched range shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning nozzle 26 is set to 2 to 3 with an arrangement interval of θ = 90 ° to 120 ° with the center line as a base point. It becomes possible to wash | clean the whole granular material contact surface by arrange | positioning a piece.

  Next, the configuration of the second butterfly valve 34 will be described. The configuration of the second butterfly valve 34 is the same as that of the first butterfly valve 14 described above. That is, it is the same structure as FIG. 2, and the 2nd casing pipe | tube 36 is a structure which can be divided | segmented and connected with the manufacturing apparatus 70 by a flange-shaped overhang | projection part.

  In the granular material supply apparatus 10 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 1, the present invention has a hole 11 for exhausting dry air supplied from the cleaning nozzle, on the rotary shaft 15 a of the first butterfly valve. The rotary shaft 35a of the second butterfly valve is provided with a hole 33 for exhausting or draining dry air and cleaning water supplied from the cleaning nozzle.

  Here, since the rotary shaft 15a of the first butterfly valve and the rotary shaft 35a of the second butterfly valve have the same shape, the following description will be made with a hole 33 provided in the rotary shaft 35a of the second butterfly valve.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the hole 33 is provided in the second butterfly valve 34. Specifically, an opening provided in a main surface of the butterfly valve 35b facing the first butterfly valve 14 is provided with a hole 33b provided in the axial direction with respect to the rotation shaft 35a constituting the second butterfly valve 34. It is comprised by connecting to 33a. By forming the hole 33 using the rotating shaft 35a of the second butterfly valve 34, the gas and cleaning liquid after cleaning the granular material contact surface can be exhausted and drained without processing the seal enclosure 38. It becomes possible. In addition, it is not necessary to ensure the sealing performance of the butterfly valve, which is necessary when an opening is provided for the purpose other than inserting the rotation shaft 35a through the seal enclosure 38, and to control the rotational position for that purpose. Become. It is to be noted that dust accumulation and the like can be reduced by installing a stopper (not shown) having an expansion / contraction function for closing up to the opening 33a of the butterfly valve 35b in the hole 33.

  According to the granular material supply apparatus 10 having the above-described configuration, it is possible to reduce scattering and contamination of the granular material with a simple structure. Moreover, the cost required for manufacture and use of the granular material supply apparatus 10 can be kept low, and the labor required for disassembly and assembly for maintenance and cleaning can be reduced.

  Next, the supply process of the granular material through the granular material supply apparatus 10 having the above configuration will be described.

  First, a docking process for connecting the opening of the first butterfly valve 14 connected to the sealed container and the opening of the second butterfly valve 34 connected to the manufacturing apparatus 70 is performed. At this time, in order to avoid interference during operation of the butterfly valve, the horizontal direction of the rotary shaft 15a in the first butterfly valve 14 and the horizontal direction of the rotary shaft 35a in the second butterfly valve 34 should be matched. Is desirable.

  After the docking process, the cleaning nozzle 26 is extended from the inner wall surface of the connecting pipe 24, and the first air blowing process for air blowing the powder and particle contact surface partitioned by the first butterfly valve 14 and the second butterfly valve 34. Is done.

  The first air blowing step plays a role of air-cleaning dirt on the granular material contact surface exposed to the outside air. In performing the first air blowing process, since the pressure in the space partitioned by the first butterfly valve 14 and the second butterfly valve 34 is high, as shown in FIG. Make sure to vent the air. The air reaches a HEPA filter (not shown) and is discharged to the outside.

  After the first air blowing step, the cleaning nozzle 26 is contracted, the butterfly valve is rotated in the order of the second butterfly valve 34 and the first butterfly valve 14, and the connection pipe 24 and the first casing pipe 12 are respectively connected. The powder supply process to open is performed. At this time, it is desirable that the butterfly valve 15b of the first butterfly valve 14 and the butterfly valve of the second butterfly valve 34 are fixed in the same direction to avoid interference therebetween.

  After completion of the powder supply process, a second air blowing process is performed in which the first butterfly valve 14 is rotated to close the first casing tube 12, the cleaning nozzle 26 is extended, and the powder contact surface is air blown. Done. By performing a 2nd air blow process, the granular material adhering to a granular material contact surface will be dropped and will be supplied to a manufacturing apparatus. Similarly to the first air blowing step, the second air blowing step may perform air bleeding from the hole 11 and the hole 33.

  After the second air blowing process is completed, a cleaning process is performed in which the butterfly valve 15b of the second butterfly valve 34 is rotated to close the connection pipe 24 and the cleaning liquid is ejected from the cleaning nozzle 26. The cleaning liquid sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 26 is discharged from the hole 33 formed in the second butterfly valve 34 to the outside of the granular material supply apparatus 10 (see FIG. 5B). Here, since air enters and exits from the hole 11, the cleaning liquid can be smoothly discharged to the outside. Note that the discharged cleaning liquid may be collected outside the apparatus.

  After the cleaning process is completed, a drying process is performed in which air is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 26 to dry the contact surfaces of the powder and particles cleaned with the cleaning liquid.

  After the drying process is completed, the washing nozzle 26 is contracted, and an undocking process for releasing the connection state between the first butterfly valve 14 and the second connection pipe 24 is performed.

  The granular material supply device 10 according to the present invention configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), in the connection portion that connects the casing pipe 12 and the connection pipe 24 of the first butterfly valve, When semi-torus-shaped protrusions 84a and 84b are provided on the holding seat 82 for holding the gasket 80 formed on the connecting pipe, and on the surface of the casing pipe overhanging portion 16 of the first butterfly valve and the gasket. good. The semi-torus-shaped protrusions 84a and 84b may be formed of O-rings as shown in FIG. 6 (b). That is, the protrusion may be formed by cutting, or a groove may be dug in the overhanging portion 16 and the holding seat 82 to attach the O-ring. The material of the O-ring may be any material such as rubber, synthetic resin, or metal, but it needs to be a material harder than the gasket.

  Thereby, when the 1st butterfly valve 14 and the connection pipe 24 are connected, sealing property can be ensured by strongly deforming the elastic body serving as a gasket locally. Note that the protrusion has a semi-torus shape from the viewpoint of not damaging the elastic body serving as a gasket.

  Therefore, in the cleaning process, the granular material due to the leakage of dry air or cleaning water from the connection portion connecting the casing pipe 12 and the connecting pipe 24 of the first butterfly valve is scattered outside the granular material supply device. It is possible to prevent contamination.

It is sectional drawing which shows the basic composition of the granular material supply apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the butterfly valve which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the washing | cleaning range of the washing nozzle which concerns on this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure of the butterfly valve which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the inside of the granular material supply apparatus in an air blow process. It is a figure which shows the connection part which a 1st casing pipe | tube and a connection pipe connect. It is the schematic which shows a part of manufacturing process in a pharmaceutical factory.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Powder supply apparatus, 11 ... Hole, 12 ... 1st butterfly valve, 14 ... Casing pipe | tube (of 1st butterfly valve), 15a ... Rotary shaft, 15b ... Butterfly valve, 16 ... Overhang | projection part, 18 ... Seal enclosure, 20 ... Pressing jig, 22 ... Flange, 24 ... Connection pipe, 26 ... Cleaning nozzle, 28 ... Telescopic pipe, 30 ... Nozzle head, 32 ... Closure plug, 33 ... Hole, 34 ... Second butterfly valve, 35a ... rotating shaft, 35b ... butterfly valve, 36 ... casing pipe (of the second butterfly valve), 60 ... powder supply unit (hopper), 70 ... powder supply unit (manufacturing device), 80 ... gasket, 82 ... Holding seat, 84a, 84b ... Projection

Claims (3)

A granular material supply apparatus inserted between the granular material supply unit and the granular material receiving unit,
A first casing pipe that is installed in the granular material supply unit and supports a butterfly valve having a rotating shaft;
A second casing pipe installed in the granular material receiving unit and supporting a butterfly valve having a rotating shaft;
A connecting pipe connected to the two casing pipes,
A cleaning nozzle that cleans the space defined by the two butterfly valves configured when the two casing pipes are connected to the connection pipe;
A hole for exhausting the dry air supplied from the cleaning nozzle to the rotating shaft of the first casing tube;
The granular material supply apparatus having a hole for exhausting or draining dry air and cleaning water supplied from the cleaning nozzle on a rotating shaft of the second casing tube. In the connection portion connecting the first casing pipe and the connection pipe,
The connecting pipe is formed with a holding seat for holding the gasket,
2. The granular material supply according to claim 1, wherein a semi-torus-shaped protrusion is provided on a holding seat of the connection pipe and a surface of the first casing pipe on the gasket. apparatus.   The granular material supply apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the semi-torus-shaped protrusion is formed of an O-ring.

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